After repeatedly stating that his Atlético Madrid team still have room for improvement, coach Diego Simeone was pushed on whether they’re close to being at their best in his pre-match press conference before facing Levante on Saturday.
“I think reaching 100 percent is very difficult; it’s a very high bar, but, well, we know that to get where we want to be, that 100 percent you mention isn’t enough as we need to be even higher than that,” Simeone insisted. “It will depend on how we manage our efforts,
our substitutions and the form of each of the guys to get the best out of every one of them.
“We need to put in a strong performance against an opponent who are very strong at home,” Simeone explained. “They’re very quick, particularly in attack, and they work very well as a unit in defence. We’ll have to steer the match in a direction where we believe we can cause them problems.”
Diego Simeone on the upcoming games against Barcelona
“We’re going to stick to our usual approach of taking it one match at a time. We need to put in a strong performance against an opponent who always gives us a tough time, a side that’s strong at home, knows exactly how to play, and we’ll have to steer the match in a direction where we think we can cause them problems.”
Simeone on this week’s train crash and support for the families
“Well, it’s a difficult time. We’re standing by the families who have suffered such terrible losses, and it’s clearly a complex situation that calls for a great deal of respect. Let’s hope things work out for the better in the future.”
Simeone on Morten Hjulmand’s progress
“He’s working hard, competing alongside players who perform very well, such as Koke, Barrios and Cardoso, particularly them, as well as Mendoza and Obed, who can also help us in that same position. Morten has a lot of character. We need him at his very best. I can see he’s committed to continuing to improve and develop, and that’s the path to getting to where he and we want to be, so that he can give his best to the team.”
Simeone on the change to the fixture list with Barcelona
“I think it’s been done this way every year, matches are brought forward because we have to play the Super Cup. I don’t see it as a problem, I see it as a decision made in the face of a very tight fixture list, and now we’ll face Barcelona at home and then away at their ground.”
Simeone on Arnau Ortiz and Ademola Lookman
“Arnau is working with great enthusiasm. He’s young, and the leap from where he was to where he is now isn’t easy. He has teammates ahead of him who are competing for a place in the team.
“Lookman may not be in the best form right now, as he was when he first arrived, but we have every confidence in him. We need him and we know what he can bring to the team. It’s about being part of the daily competition in training, showing the manager and his teammates how much he’s improved so that, naturally, opportunities will then arise.”
Simeone on the referees’ new post-match press conference
“I hope they speak well of us when it’s over. Hopefully they’ll have nothing but good things to say about what happened.”
Simeone on ups and downs throughout the season
“I don’t want to focus on other teams; I focus on us. We know we’re going to go through some very good spells, some average spells and some that aren’t so good, because that’s just how life is. In the league, over the course of so many matches, all sorts of things happen. It’s clear that the teams that manage to bounce back quickest from those difficult spells are the ones that ultimately end up competing for the title.”
